072814merrowcondesce
aspiringArchon AA began trolling languidLachesis LL at 20:50 -- 08:53 AA: Merrow hurries along to see what's up. 08:54 LL: Merrow arrives at his mother's new office, and is ushered in immediately. She looks angry. 08:54 AA: "IS SOMETHING THE MATTER, MOTHER?" 08:55 LL: She slams the folder down on her desk. "Are you so intent on ruining this betrothal that you're pailing with her FATHER?" 08:55 AA: Merrow turns completely tyrian. 08:56 AA: "WE ARE QUITE HAPPY WITH THE BETROTHAL, IN FACT." 08:56 LL: "Then explain these." She passes a different folder across the desk. 08:56 AA: Merrow grimaces and looks at the folder. 08:57 LL: It is filled with love letters from Rilset, referencing a desire to "relive those passionate minutes." 08:57 LL: "My officers have picked up no less than six of them. In the past 24 hours." 08:57 AA: Merrow stares at them in shock. 08:58 AA: "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" Merrow looks angry. 08:59 LL: "I've already contacted Miss Etrors. She insists that as Acenia's legal mother, any and all betrothals entered into without her consent are void. She is also insisting that her daughter be immediately removed from the base, due to her pardon, we cannot legally detain her, apparently." 09:00 AA: "DO ACENIA'S DESIRES MEAN NOTHING TO THEM?!" 09:00 AA: Merrow blinks for a moment. "UH....OR THE DEAL WITH SCARLET, OF COURSE." 09:01 AA: He looks sheepish at the fact that his duty to make good on the deal didn't occur to him first. 09:02 LL: "I have no idea. But maybe if the girl spoke up a bit, they might listen." She flips through another folder. "Her brother is due for pick up in two weeks. We can stall till then. I suggest you convince the girl she needs to either stand up for herself, or pack her things, by then. I can only do so much, when apparently they are all citizens of Earth." 09:03 LL: She growls in frustration. 09:03 AA: Merrow looks helpless and pathetic for a moment. "SURELY THEY CAN BE REASONED WITH? ACENIA IS SOMEWHAT TIMID, SHE MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO STAND UP TO THEM!" 09:03 LL: "When I approached Beau and Tlaloc about this, can you believe they suggested letting Acenia go and betrothing you to Rubi?" 09:04 AA: Merrow's eyes widen. His voice comes out shrill and strained, and a bit too fast. "THIS WOULD NOT RESOLVE THE SITUATION WITH SCARLET." 09:05 LL: "You think I don't know that? Sadly, another one of Scarlet's species has contacted Beau. He claims he can provide much more assistance than Scarlet, so long as Acenia does not survive to enter the game." 09:05 AA: "BESIDES, LEYERS SURELY MUST KNOW BY NOW THAT ACENIA IS DOOMED IF SHE DOESN'T STAY AND PARTICIPATE IN THE GAME, DOESN'T HE? EVEN IF HE IS TRYING TO BREAK THE BETROTHAL, TAKING HER AWAY WOULD BE LIKE A DEATH SENTENCE!" 09:05 AA: "WHAT? WHO?" 09:06 AA: "WHO CONTACTED HER?" 09:06 LL: "He refers to himself as 'crackerJack1337'." 09:06 AA: "FOR A SUPPOSEDLY EXTINCT SPECIES THERE CERTAINLY ARE A LOT OF THESE CREATURES MEDDLING IN OUR AFFAIRS!" 09:07 AA: "PLEASE, MOTHER, FIND A WAY TO CONVINCE QUEEN BEAU NOT TO ACCEPT HIS OFFER. WE WILL FIND A WAY TO DEAL WITH ETRORS AND LEYERS." His voice is pleading, practically begging. 09:07 LL: "Regardless, his offer has made Beau and Tlaloc reconsider the treaty. They haven't yet moved against us, because they are on Alternia, and I've told them any action that harms Acenia will be taken as an attack on a member of the Imperial Family. 09:08 LL: I am speaking to Rilset to have him calm Nullar, but you should speak to Acenia as well." 09:08 AA: "WE WILL. ANYTHING IT TAKES." 09:09 LL: "Thankfully, Colonel Heston thinks hurting a child is the worst kind of evil, and she assures us she will defect, in exchange for custody of Darmok." 09:09 LL: "I would prefer this not turn into an INTERPLANETARY INCIDENT, all right?" 09:09 AA: "THE HORNTAKER WOULD DO THAT?" Merrow sounds touched. "SHE HAS REALLY SURPRISED US IN THE SHORT TIME WE'VE KNOWN HER." 09:09 LL: "We may not survive this one." 09:10 AA: "AGREED. WE WILL SPEAK TO ACENIA. SHELL, WE WILL SPEAK TO MILOKO AND RUBI. PERHAPS THEY CAN CONVINCE THE QUEEN NOT TO ACCEPT SUCH A HEINOUS OFFER." 09:11 LL: "Good. I just wanted to warn you. The entire base knows about your feelings for the girl. So if you're trying to keep that private, the cat's out of the bag." 09:11 AA: "WE SEE." Merrow accepts this. 09:11 AA: "IT WAS NOT OUR WISH FOR OUR EMOTIONS TO BE SO EVIDENT. WE APOLOGIZE IF WE HAVE BEEN INDISCREET." 09:12 LL: "It's not unexpected. We've gathered nearly two-dozen hormonal teenagers in one building. And they live here too, 24/7. This was somewhat expected, and planned for." 09:12 AA: Merrow sighs. 09:12 AA: "SPEAKING OF HORMONES, WE FEEL WE SHOULD WARN YOU, THOUGH WE DOUBT YOU ARE UNAWARE..." 09:13 LL: She places her chin in her hand and listens. 09:14 AA: "THERE IS A REASONABLY GOOD POSSIBILITY THIS IS A PLOY ON THE PART OF LEYERS TO TAKE YOU AS A KISMESIS. THINGS HE SAID WHEN HE PLAYED HIS LITTLE 'PRANK' ON US THE OTHER DAY MORE OR LESS CONFIRMED SUCH A THING TO BE ON HIS AGENDA. PERHAPS IT WAS A LONG CON TO SET UP THIS SCENARIO WITH ETRORS, BUT YOU MAY WISH TO BE ON YOUR GUARD." 09:15 LL: It appears it is the Condesce's turn to flush Tyrian. 09:15 AA: Merrow's flushing a bit too, and not making eye contact. He would prefer not to imagine this of his mother. 09:16 AA: He sighs. "OH. AND THERE WAS ANOTHER MATTER. WE SHOULD HAVE LEAD WITH IT FIRST, PERHAPS, AS IT IS QUITE IMPORTANT, BUT THE BUSINESS WITH ACENIA IS....HARD NOT TO PRIORITIZE." 09:16 LL: "Leyers has been a thorn in our side for some time. We are aware of his advances, and rejecting them. Definitely not because we want him flushed. That would be absurd." 09:16 AA: Merrow groans, not wanting to hear THIS from the Condesce either. 09:18 LL: She coughs. "You have no official duties here other than preparing to play the game. If you choose to spend that time building a powerful team of allies, and cementing your relationship with the girl to ensure Scarlet sees progress in that regard when you enter the game, I would not see it as amiss. Otherwise, you are free to do as you like, provided you remember your station." 09:18 AA: He clears his throat, changing the subject. "WHILE WE WERE NOT PERSONALLY PRIVY TO IT DUE TO....TROUBLE SLEEPING, THE OTHER PLAYERS HAVE REPORTED ON SHARED DREAMS. WE HAVE DETERMINED THAT THERE IS A HIGH PROBABILITY THAT IT WAS TRULY SHARED AND NOT JUST COINCIDENCE. AND THIS DREAM WAS SHARED WITH PLAYERS WHO ARE NOT YET ON THE BASE." 09:18 AA: "OBVIOUSLY THIS REPRESENTS A POTENTIAL SECURITY BREACH, AS WE DO NOT HAVE THE ABILITY TO CENSOR COMMUNICATIONS HAD IN DREAMS." 09:19 AA: "YOU HAVE ALREADY HAD A HIGH RATE OF BRINGING IN NEW PLAYERS, BUT IT MIGHT BE A GOOD IDEA TO SPEED IT UP EVEN MORE IF AT ALL POSSIBLE." 09:19 LL: "We will do what we can. Regardless, if that information is not confirmed in any way, those new players will be more likely to pass it off as a dream." 09:20 AA: "WE CAN ONLY HOPE." He nods. "SO....YOU WOULD NOT CONSIDER IT TO BE TIME WASTED, IF WE JUST SPEND TIME WITH OUR BETROTHED?" He is trying to sound disinterested, but the enthusiasm in his voice is unmistakable. 09:21 AA: "AFTER WE DEAL WITH THE ISSUE WITH ETRORS AND LEYERS, OBVIOUSLY." 09:22 LL: She grins. "Mayhaps spending time with her will help deal with the issue of Etrors and Leyers. If her daughter is happy, Etrors might back off." 09:23 LL: "Of course, since you seem so worried about it, I can go ahead and give you a large number of tedious and menial tasks." 09:23 AA: "NO, NO, THAT WON'T BE NECESSARY." He says hurriedly. 09:25 LL: "are you sure? I am more than capable of putting you to work with tax code while Acenia works in here as my secretary. Then she can learn to be an empress, and you can avoid her." She chuckles, almost Teasing. 09:26 AA: Merrow looks shocked as he realizes what's going on. "ARE YOU....TEASING US?!" 09:27 LL: "Of course not. We are the Imperial Condescension. Why would We ever tease you?" 09:27 AA: "OH. WE THOUGHT FOR A MOMENT..." He blushes and turns away. "NOTHING. IT IS NOT IMPORTANT." 09:32 LL: She chuckles. "Well, Unless you'd like me to give you some job, you're free to go, for now." 09:33 AA: "VERY WELL. THANK YOU FOR INFORMING US, MOTHER. WE WILL SPEAK TO ACENIA." 09:34 AA: Merrow bows to his mother, then heads back the way he came. 09:36 LL: You hear her chuckling as you close the door.